Morning journal and courier., 1887-11-08
AT CENTER CHURCH CHAPEL.

DurQAm.
 Corresponding secretary-Mrs. F. M. Jerome.
 AT CENTER CHURCH CHAPEL. Annual Meeting of the Ladies' Sea-
 mems Friend Society Held Yesterday
 Encouraging Reports Read-Omeers
 Elected for the Ensuing Year.
 The annual meeting of the Ladies' Sea- mems Friend society was held yesterday afternoon at Center church chapel.
 Rev. l. c. Meserve, pastor of the DAven- port church, opened the meeting at o'clock with prayer He then made few interest," ing and pertinent remarks and applied the scripture to the work being done by the society.
 The following officers were elected for the ensuing year:
 Sarah M Mix; secretary, Mrs. c. J. Monson, jr.; terasuIer Ms Lqman CowleS emOePS G or MT Gxecq H. Booth; finance committee, Mrs. Luman Cowles and Mrs j sReFGy library committee Miss Mrs W. Townsend, Mrs. Henry N Day, Mrs. Leonard @nshpM ehurch Mrs ESs Bishop Mrs samae St. Paul's Mrs George Arnold, Mrs. Edward Mans
 ndssS s ss 9ona MF Mrs F. L. sRBssf Nrs M. Grant; Church of the Ascension Mrs ;cI Charles r G: Platt Miss Agnes Gilbert, Mrs; H N. Crocker; TrinityM E., Mrs F: Armstrong, Mrs H B Armstrong; J. Net Mathodst i Ms J Mrs HeWe cen te Mfs MeQGesn co lege, street, Mrs; L. H. Fowler, Miss Sarah J. B, oThsH, Hale; Church of the Redeemer, Nils E. S. Kimberly, Mrs, Joseph Porter; Humphrey street ard avenue MT. Frank P. Jones, Mrs. w. F. Odel; Davenport church, Mrs F. ". Pardee, Mrs. L. P Deming; First Baptist, Mrs. E. S. Wheeler, Miss Susan, Alling: Calvary Baptist, Mrs R. W George Bates Mrs Henry Por9nto Church of S the Messiah eeds Mrs woodbridge Noc"Etag Gonggregatona Mrs. s. F. Perkins; advisory sc commtttee, Frank W; Pardee, H. G. Shepard, ohm c Hollister; ent, Rev. John o. Bergh.
 The report of Helen L. Cowles, the treas urer, showed that on November 1, 1886, there was on hand $1.54. The receipts for the year have been S4 371. 33 and the expenditures $4, 066. 23. This leaves balance in the treas ury of $306 GA, but as $500 is yet due the Union Trust company on a loan there is in reality deficit of $193.36.
 Rev. J. O. Bergh presented his report as superintendent of the Seamen's Bethel. There have been during the year 1O7 meet ings. The total attendance for the year at these meetings has been 5,285, the attend ance at the reading room S,554, letters re- ceived for sailors $50, letters written by sail- ors 549, signers of the pledge PA, packages of reading matter distributed S22, Bibles
 
 415, barges visited 415, libraries exchanged 29.
 The superintendent explained that the ob feet in visiting the vessels is primarily to ac- quaint the sailors of. this institution and to invite them to the Bethel so that they will not get into evil society. There are many on the docks who disparage the work. On these visits good reading matter is distributed to he'sailors.
 The reading room is the nucleus of interest and many hours have been spent there by sailors who might otherwise have spent them in the haunts of vice. The boys are also given a hearty welcome. Writing materials are furnished free for those desiring to write letters.
 Eleven new libraries have been added to the list, making a total of 6fty-seven. All these have been sent out and twenty eight schooner Orville Horwitz. The best of care has been given to the selection of these books and frequent expressions of satisfaction are heard concerning the libraries.
 During the greater part of the year only two meetings have been held. These have been we'll sustained in interest The tenn perance meetings have been very interesting, rendered so by the assistance of local tenn perance workers and good music. Of the PA persons having signed the pledge I know of only few who have broken it. l doubt that any society can show better record.
 Fewer calls for charity have been made this year than before. One feature of our work is to redress any wrong to the sailor that comes to our knowledge. The Sailors Home is the only place in this city which the sailors feel as though they can call home, where they are not subject to the rapacity of wicked men and other evils. Here they are not drugged nor robbed of their money, but encouraged to sobriety and their money taken care of. Great credit is due to MT. and Mrs. Thayer for their efficient management of the home. Though the Home has so emphati- cally proved itself success as @ religious institution, it has been maintained at Q financial loss. To secure the continuance of the Home the public must come to the re- lief.
 The shipping office connected with the in- stitution is valuable in mary respects. Through it many have secured employment without any cost to them. The surplus earnin zs of the shipping office have mate rially lessened the expense of running the home Besides, the captains of the vessels have been saved both money and time and been spared great annoyance by the work of this office, which is efficiently presided over by MT. Thayer.
 I wish to express my thanks to all those who have in any way assisted in this work. I deem it necessary to call attention to the loss the work has sustained through the res- ignation of the former superintendent, MT. Thrasher. I do not think that any lack of interest in our work is due to disparage- meat of the work, but to the lack of knowl- edge concerning it. I wish to make special mention of the faithful services of Capt. Gill derdale, our janitor at the Bethel.
 Mir. Bsrgh detailed the work of the society in most interesting manner, and told of the many good acts that the society has done for the benefit of the sailor.
 In the secretary's report, by Nellie J. kon- son, she thanked the ministers who have as- sisted at the Bethel service, to the advisory board and others. An appeal is made to those interested, and the public as well, to come to the relief of the society in this work. A history of the Home was given, showing what good work had been done. It was not expected to be self-supporting, but would be part of the regular charitable work But during the past year many times the neces- sity of closing it's doors has pressed us, What is to be done? Are we to close the | doors of the only home for these men in our | city and thus undo, perhaps, large part already gained in the right direction